This week’s profile is of Megan Berryhill, who runs BalléNess, where ballet meets fitness in an online dance studio, allowing dancers to dance and work out from the convenience of their own home.
How long have you been dancing?
I’ve been dancing for 25 years.
Why do you dance ballet?
My husband and I were talking about this last night. (He is not a dancer). He asked me what is it about dance that I love and I said “first, if I didn’t do ballet my body would hurt. I will never stop. I can tell even after one day. My body tells me. “ The second reason I like to dance, specifically ballet, it gives you a creative outlet to let go of tension, energy, and emotions but in a controlled way.
Who/What inspires you to dance?
My students. All of my students definitely are inspiration to continue dancing and teaching. Another inspiration is music. Music always inspires me to dance. I find it difficult to listen to music and not have choreography forming in my head.
How long have you taught ballet?
I’ve taught ballet for ten years.
Where do you teach ballet?
I am originally from Pennsylvania and have taught in VA, OH, PA and NYC, but I currently am living in Baku, Azerbaijan. I teach ballet here but also online. With my lifestyle of traveling to different countries I wanted a way to continue teaching and keep training students that I have taught in person. So now I own an online dance studio at balleness.com and I teach the classes live and in real time. It’s great. I currently teach ballet to students all over the United States, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Qatar, Ukraine, Belgium and Turkey. It’s also a good outlet for dancers that want private lessons or for adults that do not have the confidence to enroll at a ballet studio. I have some dancers that I have never met in person and I have watched them improve their ballet vocabulary and technique and we both feel that we know each other; but we have never met! It’s awesome.
Who do you teach (ages, gender, level, etc.)?
I teach 3 year olds through 103 year olds. All ages and all levels.
What other types of dance do you teach (if any)?
I teach BalléNess (which is a ballet based fitness class for adults), contemporary, modern, pointe, jazz, beginner hip-hop, and beginner tap.
Why do you teach ballet?
I love to teach ballet. Watching students grow and improve from your training is so rewarding and what is better than getting rewarded for teaching your passion?
What is your favorite ballet step to teach and why?
For the young dancers I love teaching pas de chat. Doing passe’s over and over in parallel and then turn out is just fun. Like marching, but jumping. And then acting as a cat with them to do the pas de chat. I really don’t know why I love it, I just do.
For adults, my favorite ballet step to teach is a super simple step: chaine and pique turns. When I show them adults are always intimidated and think they could NEVER turn as fast, and in a straight line like I did. And then after some practicing and training, boom! They always successfully perform chaine and pique turns. And then it is that smile they all get and relief that they did it! They actually did it.
What advice/tips would you give to adults who want to begin ballet for the first time/adults starting ballet again?
Don’t be too hard on yourself and don’t compare yourself to others. Often we become frustrated and hard on ourselves if our leg can’t get as high as the person standing at the barre next to us, or we can’t figure out how on earth that petite allegro combination goes…get over it. You came to ballet class for practice and repetition, and with that and your instrument you will get there.
You can contact Megan by email(admin@balleness.com), on Facebook and Twitter!
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